Ice making apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus is provided for the continuous production of ice in the form of relatively dry, hard and tightly packed pellets, such as required in dispensing carbonated beverages, employing an extruding head having constricted radial passages and a rotating extruding cam in conjunction with a conventional auger type ice maker for converting the relatively wet, soft and loose ice material produced by the latter into the required drier, harder and more tightly packed form.

United States Patent 11 1 Hanson [CE MAKING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Theodore L. Hanson, Kansas City,

[73] Assignee: The Vendo Company, Kansas City,

[22] Filed: June 25, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 156,810

[52] US. Cl. 62/354, 425/331 [51] Int. Cl. Fc 1/14 [58] Field of Search 62/354, 320;

100/D1G. 3, DIG. 4; 425/331, 382

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,646,594 7/1953 Field 100/D1G. 4

2,239,220 4/1941 De Permentier 100/010. 4 3,196,628 7/1965 Reynolds 62/320 X Sept. 4, 1973 3,648,462 3 1972 John B. Lyman ..62/354 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 196,947 11 1923 Great Britain 100 1510. 4

Primary Examiner-William E. Wayner Attorney-Schmidt, Johnson, Hovey & Williams [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus is provided for the continuous production of ice in the form of relatively dry, hard and tightly packed pellets, such as required in dispensing carbonated beverages, employing an extruding head having constricted radial passages and a rotating extruding cam in conjunction with a conventional auger type ice maker for converting the relatively wet, soft and loose ice material produced by the latter into the required drier, harder and more tightly packed form.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 56 8A 59 1 H 1 62 F i PATENTEB SEP 4 i973 INVENTOR. Theodore L. Hanson PATENTEDSEP M975 3,756,041

SiEET 2 W 1 2 YINVENTOR. Theodore L. Hanson ICE MAKING APPARATUS This invention relates to ice making apparatus, and particularly to such apparatus for use in beverage dispensing or vending machines in which relatively hard, dry and tightly packed ice pellets must be produced on a continuous or at least intermittently continuing basis.

Prior ice making apparatus conventionally employed in beverage dispensing and vending machines have been subject to various serious limitations and disadvantages. One type of prior apparatus employing a mold-board like deflector at the discharge outlet of a conventional auger type ice maker yields an ice material product which, although somewhat compacted and more dry than the material initially emanating from the auger type ice maker, still fails to provide an ice pellet product of the characteristics required for the mentioned purpose. The other type of ice making apparatus heretofore most commonly employed in such applications utilizes substantially axially extending extrusion passages disposed adjacent and in alignment with the outlet opening of an auger type ice maker, and the product produced by such apparatus has been acceptable for the mentioned purpose. However, in the lastmentioned type of apparatus, as well as in the moldboard deflector type of apparatus, the extruding force for moving and compacting the initially soft and loose material emanating from the ice maker itself is derived entirely from the action of the rotating auger. This has resulted in a number of disadvantages, including the fact that the auger must be of stronger construction thanwould otherwise be required merely for the scraping action it performs in the ice maker itself; the power used to drive the auger must be substantially greater than would otherwise be required, in order to generate the necessary extruding force from the action of the auger; and, the already mentioned factors impose definite limitations upon the degree of drying, hardening and compacting of the ice product that can be achieved with auger constructions and drive power levels of economically practical configuration, particularly when the apparatus is to be employed in a dispensing or vending machine.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide improved ice making apparatus employing a head having an extruding cam for forcing ice material through radially disposed extruding passages in conjunction with a conventional auger type ice maker for converting the material produced'by the latter into dry, hard and tightly packed ice pellets.

It is another important object of the invention to provide such apparatus in which the comparative dimensions, cross sections, operating parameters and flow volumes characterizing the extruding head and its various parts and operational capacities are so related to those of the associated auger type ice maker that the entire extruding force employed in the apparatus will be derived from the operation of the extruding cam without loading the ice maker auger or relying upon the latter for the production of extruding forces.

It is another important object of the invention to provide such apparatus in which the auger portion of the ice maker may be of lighter construction than now deemed necessary with previous extruding systems, and in which for a given degree of drying, hardening and compacting, the power requirements for driving the apparatus may be substantially reduced or, conversely, for a given drive power, the degree of drying, hardening and compacting may be increased to a level not heretofore attainable with prior forms of ice making apparatus.

Still other important objects and advantages of the invention will be made clear or become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description of a preferred illustrated embodiment of the invention that follows:

In the drawings: 7

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view with parts shown in elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the primary structure of the apparatus, with the top cover of the hopper removed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the extruding head portion of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken through the extruding head portion of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view taken on irregular lines 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the upper and lower head sections of the extruding head portion of the apparatus; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the auger forming a part of the ice maker and the cam forming a part of the extruding portion of the apparatus, with such parts shown in partially disassembled condition.

Referring now to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes a power section 12, an auger type ice maker section 14, an extrusion section 16 and an ice storage hopper section 18.

The power section 12 conventionally includes an electric motor 20, enclosed gear means 22, and a driven upright shaft 24 provided with coupling means The auger type ice maker-section 14 is essentially conventional and includes an elongated, cylindrical metal shell 28 uprightly mounted upon the section 12 and having a circumscribing insulated jacket 30 providing a refrigerant fluid chamber 32 about a major portion of the shell 28, there being inlet and outlet conduits 34 and 36 for circulating refrigerant fluid through the chamber 32 to cool the portion of shell 28 contacted thereby to a temperature below the freezing temperature of water.

The ice maker section 14 further typically includes a rotatable auger generally designated 38 having an upright shaft portion 40 and a spiral flight portion 42 terminating at an ice material discharge outlet 44 provided at the top of the shell 28. A freeezing chamber 46 is presented between the shaft 40 and the shell 28 and between successive turns of flight portion 42 of auger 38. Conduit means 48 for introducing water into the freezing chamber 46 via the lower end of shell 28 permits water to be introduced into the chamber 46 in such quantities as may be needed for freezing.

The shaft 40 is suitably journaled in a bearing as at 50 adjacent the lower end of the shell 28 and is connected with the coupling 26 for rotation of the auger 38 when the driven shaft 24 of the power section 12 is rotat'ed.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the ice maker section 14 functions to freeze a relatively thin layer of ice material upon the inner wall of the refrigerated shell 28, which material is then scraped from the wall of shell 28 by the auger flight 42 and carried upwardly by rotation of the latter for discharge in relatively wet, soft and loosely packed form through the outlet opening 44 at the top of the freezer section 14.

The hopper section 18 includes an insulated wall 52 and removable cover 54 defining an ice pellet storing chamber 56 having a melt water drain as at 58 separated from the overlying portions of chamber 56 by a foraminous screen 60.

Referring now to the extrusion head 16 whose construction and combination with the ice maker section 14 provide the improvements contemplated by the invention, such extrusion section broadly includes upper and lower head sections 62 and 64 secured together and to the freezer section 14 by any suitable means such as bolts 66. The lower head section 64 defines a chamber 68 therewithin for receiving loosely packed frozen material being delivered from the freezer section 14 by the auger 38 through the freezer discharge opening 44. The lower head section 64 is provided with a plurality of generally radially extending extrusion passages 70 whose cross-sectional areas decrease toward the outer ends of such passage 70. An extruding cam 74 is mounted upon the upper portion of auger shaft 40 and secured thereto for rotation therewith as by key means 76. The extruding cam 74, when in operational position upon the shaft 40, directly overlies the top of the auger flight 42, and a portion of the cam 74 is undercut as at 78 to provide a continuation of the lower surface 80 of the flight 42 for passage of ice material into the chamber 68 with a minimum of obstruction from the cam 74.

The top section 62 of the extrusion head assembly 16 closes the top of the chamber 68 as well as the extrusion passages 70, and the lower surface of the upper head section 62 is preferably provided with a plurality of depressions or other irregularities 82 for deterring rotational movement of ice material within the'chamber 68. The upper head section 62 is also provided with bearing means 84 in which the upper extremity of the shaft 40 is rotatably journaled.

It is significant that the horizontal cross-sectional area of the chamber 68 is greater than the crosssectional area of the discharge opening 44 of the freezer section 14 (excluding therefrom the space occupied by the cam 74 and the auger 38, respectively); that the volume of that portion of the chamber 68 not occupied by the cam 74 is at least as great and preferably greater than the volume of material that will be discharged into the chamber 68 through the opening 44 of the freezer section 14 during each revolution of the cam 74; that the aggregate cross-sectional area of the passages 70 at their smallest zones is at least as great and preferably greater than the cross-sectional area of the opening 44, which serves as an outlet for the freezer section 14 and an inlet to the material receiving chamber 68; that the aggregate volume within the passage means 70 is at least as great and preferably greater than the volume of that portion of the chamber 68 not occupied by the cam means 74; and that the volume of ice material which the cam 74 can move from the chamber 68 into the passage means 70 during each revolution of the cam 74 is at least as great and preferably greater than the volume of material discharged from the freezer section 14 into the receiving chamber 68 during each revolution of the cam means 74. These important relationships, together with the fact that the quantity of ice material scraped from the inner surface of shell 28 during each revolution of the auger 38 normally will not fill the space between adjacent turns of the auger flight 42, are responsible for assuring that the entire extruding force required to move the relatively wet, soft and loose ice material received from the freezer section 14 into and through the extruding passages will be derived from the action of the rotating cam 74, without any of such extruding force being supplied by the action of the spiral flight 42 of auger 38.

In the currently preferred embodiment the following dimensional relationships have been found satisfactory: internal diameter of shell 28, 1% inches; diameter of shaft 40 within chamber 46, 1 inch; spacing between turns of flight 42, 1 21/32 inches; horizontal crosssectional area of chamber 68, 3.97 square inches; horizontal cross-sectional area of cam 74, 1.42 square inches; total volume of chamber 68, 2.98 cubic inches; total volume of cam 74 within chamber 68, 1 cubic inch; size of inward end of each passage 70, 0.438 inches X 0.750 inches, for a cross-sectional area of 3.92 square inches at the inlet end of each passage 70; size of outward end of passages 70, 0.438 inches X 0.593 inches, for a total cross-sectional area of 3.l0 square inches for each passage 70 at the constricted outlet end thereof; height of chamber 68, 3 inches; and internal diameter of chamber 68, 2% inch.

Thus, in operation, the auger 38 continuously delivers into the larger area of the receiving chamber 38 a volume of wet, soft and loose ice material, which is then moved entirely by the inclined arcuate working surface 84 of the rotating cam 74 into the extruding passages 70, the volume of such material capable of being so moved by the cam 74 during any revolution of the latter being greater than the quantity of material received from the freezer section 14 during the same period. The curvature of the surface 84 of cam 74 is such as to provide a high degree of mechanical advantage in exerting a radial moving force upon material within the chamber 68 and will develop radial forces more than adequate to extrude such material through even substantially constricted passage means 70. It may be noted that back loading upon the auger 38 is avoided by the relationships mentioned.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ice breaker and agitating assembly 86 may be secured atop the shaft 40 for rotation therewith within the hopper chamber 56 for breaking ice being extruded from the passages 70 into suitably sized pellets and thereafter stirring such pellets during storage thereof within the hopper chamber 56. A pellet discharging outlet 88 in the sidewall of hopper 18 may be provided and supplied with any suitable form of closure 90, which may be controlled either manually or by any other suitable means.

It should thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is well adapted for accomplishing the above mentioned objects. It should also be appreciated, however, that minor modifications and changes from the details of construction disclosed for illustrative purposes might be made without departing from the true spirit or intention of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the invention is intended to be limited only by the fair scope of the claims that follow.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. ln ice making apparatus for producing ice in the form of relatively dry, hard and tightly packed bodies thereof:

A source of relatively wetter, softer and more loosely associated ice material, said source including rotatable auger means for discharging said material therefrom;

means, including sidewall structure having a generally annular inner periphery, presenting a generally cylindrical chamber within said structure and above said source for receiving said material, said receiving chamber being provided with an inlet opening in communication therewith at the lower axial end thereof and arranged to pass said material discharged from said source into said receivingchamber, the upper axial end of said chamber being provided with an irregular surface to deter said material from moving around said chamber;

said sidewall structure having a plurality of material compacting passage means extending substantially radially outwardly therethrough with their inner extremities in communication with said receiving chamber along said inner periphery of said structure, said passage means being of greater crosssectional area adjacent said inner extremities thereof than at zones thereof more outwardly remote from said inner extremities thereof;

cam means disposed in said chamber for rotation about the axis of revolution of said receiving chamber and having an outwardly facing camming surface disposed for successive juxtaposition with the inner extremities of said passage means for forcing said material from said receiving chamber outwardly through said passage means as said cam means is rotated; and

power means operably coupled with said auger means and said cam means for rotating the former to discharge said material into said chamber and for rotating the latter to produce and deliver ice in said form from the outer extremities of said passage means.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the crosssectional area of that portion of said chamber adjacent said inlet opening and not occupied by said cam means is greater than the cross-sectional area of said inlet opening; the volume of that portion of said chamber not occupied by said cam means is at least as great as the volume of said material discharged by said source during the time required for one revolution of said cam means; the aggregate cross-sectional area of said passage means at their zones of smallest cross-section is at least as great as the cross-sectional area of said inlet opening; the aggregate volume of said passage means is at least as great as the volume of that portion of said chamber not occupied by said cam means; and the volume of said material which said cam means is operatively capable of forcing from said chamber into said passage means during one revolution of said cam means is at least as great as the volume of said material discharged by said source during the time required for one revolution of said cam means. 

1. In ice making apparatus for producing ice in the form of relatively dry, hard and tightly packed bodies thereof: A source of relatively wetter, softer and more loosely associated ice material, said source including rotatable auger means for discharging said material therefrom; means, including sidewall structure having a generally annular inner periphery, presenting a generally cylindrical chamber within said structure and above said source for receiving said material, said receiving chamber being provided with an inlet opening in communication therewith at the lower axial end thereof and arranged to pass said material discharged from said source into said receiving chamber, the upper axial end of said chamber being provided with an irregular surface to deter said material from moving around said chamber; said sidewall structure having a plurality of material compacting passage means extending substantially radially outwardly therethrough with their inner extremities in communication with said receiving chamber along said inner periphery of said structure, said passage means being of greater cross-sectional area adjacent said inner extremities thereof than at zones thereof more outwardly remote fRom said inner extremities thereof; cam means disposed in said chamber for rotation about the axis of revolution of said receiving chamber and having an outwardly facing camming surface disposed for successive juxtaposition with the inner extremities of said passage means for forcing said material from said receiving chamber outwardly through said passage means as said cam means is rotated; and power means operably coupled with said auger means and said cam means for rotating the former to discharge said material into said chamber and for rotating the latter to produce and deliver ice in said form from the outer extremities of said passage means.
 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of that portion of said chamber adjacent said inlet opening and not occupied by said cam means is greater than the cross-sectional area of said inlet opening; the volume of that portion of said chamber not occupied by said cam means is at least as great as the volume of said material discharged by said source during the time required for one revolution of said cam means; the aggregate cross-sectional area of said passage means at their zones of smallest cross-section is at least as great as the cross-sectional area of said inlet opening; the aggregate volume of said passage means is at least as great as the volume of that portion of said chamber not occupied by said cam means; and the volume of said material which said cam means is operatively capable of forcing from said chamber into said passage means during one revolution of said cam means is at least as great as the volume of said material discharged by said source during the time required for one revolution of said cam means. 